God's Little Big Angel wants to Learn How to Read

God's Little Big Angel with me at Airport: 'till we see each other again...

Armand Reforma Jr | May 22, 2014

The moment we welcomed our sister, Judy, into the world, her life journey is all struggles. Diagnosed with liver infection at birth, doctors in Philippines told my parents she may be saved but medicines to treat her could stunt her mental development. My folks understood Judy's predicament and chose to proceed. Judy survived. On 7/14/14, she'll celebrate her 37th birthday, but with 7-year-old mental age, her only wish is to learn how to read. Learning how to read for most of us is a normal, expected task. But, for some people with intellectual disabilities, it's a totally different story. I come from a poor family; in spite of that, Judy was able to go to special development school in Manila many years ago. She enjoyed school a lot. She got up early daily, excitedly participated in class and was active in sports: volleyball, running, etc. However promising, she had to quit school due to limited financial resources. Judy heard about Special Olympics 2015 with strong desire to read about it. Special thanks to Special Olympics for their efforts to draw attention to our less heard of brothers and sisters. If they learn how to read and write, more will listen to them.

About Me:

As the older brother of Judy Reforma, I understand and saw first hand her own struggles to try to learn how to read. Her strong desire to try to understand written words for self enjoyment and improvement never fail to inspire me to never quit also on my own personal struggles,though on another level. Everyone should be free to pursue self improvement thru basic/higher learning, sports, etc. Special thanks to Special Olympics for their efforts to draw attention to our less heard of brothers and sisters. If they learn how to read and write, more will listen to them.